Sing Her Down

This novel begins in a violent women's prison in Arizona, with the voices of three women. There's Kace, who hears the voices of the dead; Florida, who comes from an affluent family from Hancock Park and who was so high when she drove her boyfriend away from where he set a fire that killed a man, that she has no memory of it; and Dios, who loves singing narcocorridos and being feared for her random acts of extreme violence. When both Dios and Florida are paroled at the start of the pandemic, Florida impulsively jumps on an illegal bus to Los Angeles, hoping to go home. But Dios follows her onto the bus and before the bus reaches its destination, both Dios and Florida are not just breaking parole, they are on the run.

This is a novel not show more about the pandemic, but set in a dystopian Los Angeles ravaged by the shuttering of businesses and the explosion of homelessness. Centered on the skid row neighborhoods around downtown, there's a real feel of hopelessness and of end times to this world, despite its proximity to the comfortable Tudor-style manors and shady avenues of Hancock Park. There's a recurring character from her previous novel, These Women, who serves to ground this novel while Florida and Dios circle each other in a way that feels like a Western, albeit one with an urban setting.

There's a lot of over-the-top violence at the start of this novel and while that isn't something that usually bothers me, Pochoda's writing made it just that bit more vivid and real. It's a wild beginning, that leaves the reader ready for anything. Pochoda is an interesting author and her version of Los Angeles, one of dirty street corners and a capacity to explode into violence at a moment's notice, is a compelling one. show less

Plot: 4.5⭐️
Audio Narration: 5⭐️

“You won’t believe what women can do.
These women- their mistake was in thinking they burned with their own unique rage. Something deeper, darker than what the rest of us feel.
Let me tell you- inside we all rage the same. It’s how we let it out that differs.”

Diana Diosmary “Dios” Sandoval and Florence “Florida” Baum are inmates in a women’s correctional facility in Arizona. As the pandemic rages on, both of their sentences are commuted and they are released on parole. Florida and Dios have a history – something that ties them to a violent event in the prison and Dios has knowledge of secrets about Florida’s arrest and her actual role in the crime that landed her in prison – show more secrets that Florida is desperate to protect. Dios holds this knowledge over Florida’s head and is fixated on proving that Florida, who comes from an affluent background and hopes to leave her time in prison behind her, is no less a violent criminal than Dios believes she is. After they are released from prison, Dios stalks Florida, refusing to back down as Florida struggles to gain control of her life.

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda is a dark, gritty and immersive novel that I could not put down. I finished it in a single day! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of four women – Dios, Florida and Kase, another prisoner who was incarcerated with Dios and Florida, who shares her unique perspectives on the psyche of women whose lives are plagued by crime and violence. We also meet Detective Lobos, surrounded by violence in her work life and dealing with her troubled marriage,who crosses paths with Dios and Florida and tries to gain some insight into these two women while pursuing them. Through flashbacks, we get to know more about Dios and Florida, their backstories and the events that led to their incarceration. The characterizations are superb and the author does a superb job of giving us a glimpse into the innermost thoughts of these characters, all of whom are plagued by their own demons. The setting of the story changes from Arizona to Los Angeles and the author describes each of these settings with vivid imagery that only adds to the atmosphere of the novel.

“There is no magic in the world, no point wasting time detangling patterns and problems, in rationalizing yourself for others, in explaining yourself away and prophesying your next move.”

With its exceptional writing, consistent pacing, complex characters and gripping narrative, this novel reeled me in from the very first page. This is a thought-provoking story and these women and their stories will stay with me.This is my first Ivy Pochoda novel and it surely won’t be my last!

However, I should point out that this is not a light or easy read. There are disturbing scenes of prison violence and the story does venture into dark territory.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the digital review copy of this novel, I was fortunate to also receive the ALC of this novel from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio which made for an exceptional immersion reading experience. The phenomenal full-cast audio narration by Frankie Corzo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Sophie Amoss, and Victoria Villarreal made these characters and the story come alive. I would definitely recommend both the book and /or the audiobook.

“Sometimes in here it feels like all you have to yourself is the thing that brought you inside. The thing that belongs to you proper—the weight you carry. That’s it. There’s no other you. And you have to reshape that thing into something you can live with, mold it and sculpt it until it fits tight to your body but doesn’t overwhelm you. They don’t know that at the end of the day, the everyday is all there is.”


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The StoryGraph show less

Story of two women, Florida Baum and Diosmary Sandoval, who start out as rival inmates at an Arizona penitentiary in 2020. Florida is released early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unbeknownst to her, Diosmary is also released. When Florida decides to jump parole and travel to Los Angeles, Diosmary follows her, and their rivalry continues outside of the prison environment. The storyline shifts back and forth between these two women and their pursuer, Detective Lobos of the LAPD, a woman whose personal life is afflicted with domestic violence. I was put off by the message of this book, which seems to be that women can be just as dysfunctional and violent as men. It contains quite a few disturbing scenes of assault and battery. It seemed to show more me a litany of nastiness with a disappointing ending. I always look for at least a tiny bit of positivity or hope in a dark story, but this is relentlessly bleak. show less

Rating: 3.25* of five

The Publisher Says: No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller from the award-winning author of These Women.

Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison―or so her ex-cellmate, Diosmary Sandoval, keeps insinuating.

Dios knows the truth about Florida's crimes, understands the truth that Florence hides even from herself: that she wasn't a victim of circumstance, an unlucky bystander misled by a bad man. Dios knows that darkness lives in women too, despite the world's refusal to see it. And she is determined to open Florida's eyes and unleash her true self.

When an unexpected reprieve gives both women their show more freedom, Dios's fixation on Florida turns into a dangerous obsession, and a deadly cat-and-mouse chase ensues from Arizona to the desolate streets of Los Angeles.

With blistering, incisive prose, the award-winning author Ivy Pochoda delivers a razor-sharp Western. Gripping and immersive, Sing Her Down is a spellbinding thriller setting two indelible women on a path to certain destruction and an epic, stunning showdown.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I should've liked this more than I did. I understand the effect Author Pochoda was reaching for with her visceral, visual similes and her keenly observed scene-setting visuals, something like Dorothy B. Hughes or Craig Rice would go looking for.

It wore on me because I don't feel she found terribly good ones. And there are a lot of them.

MCD x FSG asks you for $11.99 for an ebook. Read a sample, if you vibe with the prose the story will reward you. show less

Sing Her Down, by Ivy Pochoda, was NOT an easy book to read, but it's worth sitting with it and digesting it. I've enjoyed Pochoda's work previously and this one did not disappoint.

The story is told from the varying perspectives of four major characters. This can be a bit dizzying at first since you are 'dumped' into someone's brain, basically, but I quickly got used to this form of narrative.

These four characters (and some other, less major personages) are all navigating the world of early COVID lockdown, which provides a stark setting of desolation (both emotional and external). The story takes place in Arizona (in a women's penitentiary) and Los Angeles, California. Pochoda's descriptions of scenery and surroundings is very visual show more and vivid. I could almost see the 'film' of the story in my head as I was reading.

I'm not sure how to really explain the plot without spoiling it, but it involves crime and violence, self-actualization, some redemption. I would add a big Content Warning for violence (some of it graphic). While it's not egregious it is still very much part of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher - Farrar, Strous and Giroux - for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I've already recommended it to my various book groups, and look forward to what Ivy Pochoda writes next! show less

"Let me tell you- inside we all rage the same. It’s how we let it out that differs.”

Definitely a case of this one just isn't for me. The story felt disjointed. I never understood why we were given glimpses into each woman's mind. I don't think violence is a surprise. Are we surprised women can be violent too? The world is an ugly place and too many get lost in the shadows and slip between the cracks. This book seemed to take that point and constantly shove it in your face. I was surprised by the depth of darkness but I soon found Dios and Florida's voices hard to distinguish.

I think this might have worked for me as an audio book. It sounds like the audiobook has a full cast and I think that would probably be amazing.

A huge thank show more you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda is a recommended gritty, violent, dark, feminist Western thriller.

Set during the pandemic, Florence "Florida" Baum and Diosmary "Dios" Sandoval are both inmates at Arizona women's prison. Dios thinks the two are bound by what they are capable of doing. Florida wants nothing to do with Dios. They both receive an early release. When the two go on the run from their two week quarantine, another murder occurs. LAPD officer Lobos is on their trail.

The narrative is divided into two parts and chapters alternate between the point-of-view of Dios, Florida, Kase, another prisoner, and Lobos. Dios is fixated on Florida and wants her to admit that darkness lives in women too. As the two are on the run, they make a show more plethora of bad choices.

There are sentences and observations included in Sing Her Down that make you want to yell, "Yes! That!" and then there are the over-the-top actions, reactions, violence, and swearing in the novel. I felt myself wildly swinging between loving the writing to cringing over excessive language and violence. These are interesting characters who always seem to be in dramatic situations and in conflict with each other. I appreciate the quality of the writing, but I'm not sure about the characters and the plot. This could be a novel I need to return to in the future.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux via NetGalley.
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